Stylos is the blog of Jeff Riddle, a Reformed Baptist Pastor in North Garden, Virginia. The title "Stylos" is the Greek word for pillar. In 1 Timothy 3:15 Paul urges his readers to consider "how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar (stylos) and ground of the truth."

Scholars are
not sure of the exact words of Jesus. Ancient historians were concerned to get
the gist of what someone said, but not necessarily the exact wording. A
comparison of parallel passages in the Synoptic Gospels reveals that the
evangelists didn’t always record Jesus’ words exactly the same way. The
terms ipsissima verba and ipsissima vox are
used to distinguish the kinds of dominical sayings we have in the Gospels. The
former means ‘the very words,’ and the latter means ‘the very voice.’ That is,
the exact words or the essential thought. There have been attempts to harmonize
these accounts, but they are highly motivated by a theological agenda which
clouds one’s judgment and skews the facts. In truth, though red-letter editions
of the Bible may give comfort to believers that they have the very words of
Jesus in every instance, this is a false comfort. -Daniel B. Wallace https://danielbwallace.com/2012/10/08/fifteen-myths-about-bible-translation/

I’ve been wanting to do a follow
up response to this idea of the verba/vox
distinction and related issues, like whether Jesus spoke Greek or only Aramaic.

So, I want to look at four sources
I’ve recently reviewed on these topics, along with some final thoughts
conclusions on how believers are to understand the use of modern
historical-critical methodology in Biblical criticism.

A few weeks ago, I noted Irving
Hexham’s questions about whether Jesus spoke Aramaic or Greek. See
my post here. Hexham suggests that the consensus among modern NT scholars
that Jesus spoke Aramaic rather than Greek only came about in the eighteenth
century with the rise of source criticism and subtly undermined the traditional
view that the Gospels faithfully recorded the exact words of Jesus.

This book comes from the
evangelical “Battle for the Bible” period. It was written to defend inerrancy
against its liberal despisers. In Feinberg’s article he attempts to define
inerrancy in such a way that it might remain compatible with the challenges of the
modern historical critical method.

Of note is his specific discussion
about whether the Gospels record the ipsissima
verba (the very words) or the ipsissima
vox (the very voice) of Jesus.

Feinberg notes: “Inerrancy does not demand that the Logia
Jesu (the sayings of Jesus) contain the
ipsissima verba (the exact words) of
Jesus, only the ipsissima vox (the
exact voice)” (301). He adds:

When
a New Testament writer cites the sayings of Jesus, it need not be that Jesus said
those exact words. Undoubtedly, the exact words of Jesus are to be found in the
New Testament, but they need not be so in every instance.

Feinberg gives two reasons for his
argument. First, he says “many of the sayings were spoken by our Lord in Aramaic
and therefore had to be translated into Greek.” Second, he suggests that it is
impossible which of the sayings are “direct quotes, which are indirect
discourse, and which are freer renderings.”

My guess, however, is that most faithful,
ordinary Christians (untrained in modern historical criticism) will be puzzled
by this viewpoint for two reasons. First, they likely expect that the words of
Jesus as recorded in the Gospels are, just that, his words, and not merely a
close approximation of them. Second, they assume that distinctions between
direct and indirect discourse are no harder to discern in the Greek of the New
Testament than in English (or any other coherent language). So, for example,
when they read John 5:8: “Jesus said unto him [i.e., the impotent man at the
pool of Bethesda], Rise, take up thy bed, and walk,” they assume that this is a
direct quotation, recording not merely an approximation of Jesus’ words but his
exact words. If he originally spoke those words in Greek, and not Aramaic, it
would, of course, require no translation.

Feinberg’s analysis appears not to
be aimed at that ordinary Christian reader but at the skeptic who is eager to
find errors or inconsistencies in the Biblical text. He believes that by
surrendering a vigorous defense of the Logia Jesu in the Gospels as Christ’s
precise words, in favor of a more nuanced suggestion that such sayings might
only be free renderings by the Evangelists, he has safeguarded the Scriptures
against charges of errancy. But has he conceded too much? Does this not buttress
the skeptic’s view that the Gospels provide an often creative and inventive
account of Jesus’ life and ministry as opposed to a meticulously accurate
record of his words and deeds?

Furthermore, does Feinberg’s
approach neglect the supernatural aspect of the faithful transmission of
Scripture? Its accuracy does not, in the end, depend on the care or skill of
the penmen but on the faithfulness of the God who directed them. Consider
Christ’s promise to his disciples: “But the Comforter, which
is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you
all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said
unto you” (John 14:26).

This essay appears in a volume
dedicated to defending the reliability of the NT Gospels over against the
hyper-skepticism of the Jesus Seminar. As with Feinberg, however, one wonders
if the author does not concede too much to the Bible’s despisers.

Bock suggests three points on a
spectrum of understanding Christ’s words in the Gospels: live, jive, and
Memorex. The “Memorex view” would be that of the traditionalists who assume
that the words recorded in the Gospels are the exact words spoken. Bock rejects
this view, however, stating, “It is possible to have historical truth without
always resorting to explicit citation” (75). The “jive view” would be that the
Jesus Seminar, which holds that the Gospel writers had maximal freedom in
inventing or creating the recorded words. The mediating position which Bock
champions is the “live” option, suggesting:

This
is what the “live” approach is all about. Each evangelist retells the living
and powerful words of Jesus in a fresh way for his readers, while faithfully
and accurately presenting the “gist” of what Jesus said. I call this approach
one that recognizes the Jesus tradition as “live” in its dynamic and quality
(77).

Bock then follows Feinberg by insisting
on a distinction between ipsissima verba
and ispissima vox. He cites one “universally recognized reality”
as making the verba/vox distinction
necessary: “that Jesus probably gave most of his teaching in Aramaic” while the
Gospels were written in Greek, adding, “In other words, most of Jesus’ teaching
in the Gospels is already a translation” (77). So, Bock concedes: “Since a
translation is already present in much of the tradition, we do not have ‘his
very words’ in the strictest sense of the term” (77). The best Bock can say is
that the Gospels “give us the true gist of his teaching and the central thrust
of his message” (78).

Bock defends this view as in
keeping with (1) the practices of Greco-Roman historiography; (2) the oral
Jewish culture of remembering; and (3) the nature of historical writing.
Regarding the third point, Bock notes: “History is not a static entity” (81).

Again, it seems unlikely that the
faithful Christian reader will necessarily share these assumptions. Whatever
the ordinary practices of secular Greek, Roman, or Jewish authors or the
customary vagaries of ancient or modern history, the believing reader sees the
Bible as an extra-ordinary work. Why then, under the Spirit’s direction, should
it not faithfully record the very words of Jesus?

Note: When one reviews the
examples cited by Bock one notices how thin are the actual citations of
perceived variances in the words of Jesus among the Gospels (see pp. 84-89).

Bocks gives attention to variances
in the order of the temptations in the temptation narratives, perceived
differences in narrative sequencing in the Synoptic Gospels, detail differences
in Synoptic parallels, and differences in verbal citations (like the Father’s
voice at Jesus’ baptism or Peter’s confession).

When it comes to specific words
from Jesus, Bock only cites two examples: (1) Jesus’ question to the disciples
at Caesarea Philippi (p. 86); and (2) Jesus’ teaching on the coming of the Son
of Man (p. 88).

Bock concludes: “The Gospels are
summaries of the teaching of Jesus,” giving the “gist” but not the exact words
(89).

This modern, evangelical approach
was not, however, the one taken by pre-critical interpreters, who could
acknowledge slight variations in the Gospels accounts while still affirming the
full reliability of the Gospels in accurately recording Christ’s precise words
(and those of others). How did they do this? By making reasonable
harmonizations, often assuming that one Gospel writer might have recorded what
Jesus (or another figure) said on one occasion or moment while another Gospel
writer recorded what he said on another occasion or in another moment, thus
explaining the occasional differences in wording. A report of Christ’s words might
then be precise but only partial without assuming that the Evangelist had
creatively summarized Christ’s words.

Fourth:
Robert L. Thomas, “Impact of Historical Criticism on Theology and Apologetics,”
in Robert L. Thomas and F. David Farnell, Eds., The Jesus Crisis: The Inroads
of Historical Criticism Into Evangelical Scholarship (Kregel, 1998): 356-377,
especially 367-372.

Thomas challenges the evangelical
embrace of the verba/vox distinction.
According to Thomas, this move “now has the evangelical world wondering what
words Jesus spoke. The general impact of that field of scholarship has been on
the side of assuming the gospel writers never
reported His exact words or the ipsissima
verba—the very words—of the Lord” (367).

While conceding that Jesus’ speeches
in the Gospels are shorter than the original speeches, Thomas argues that this
does not mean that the words which are recorded in the Gospels are not Christ’s
exact words.

Thomas offers a direct challenge
to Bock, in particular, including his assumption that Jesus spoke only in
Aramaic and this had to be translated into Greek. He notes a “growing
realization among contemporary scholars” recognizing “the wide use of Greek
among the Jews of Jesus’ day,” adding, “The assumption that Jesus never spoke
Greek is certainly unfounded” (368).

Thomas thinks it highly likely
that the followers of Jesus would have written down and accurately memorized
Jesus’ exact words. Regarding the differences in the Synoptic Gospels, Thomas
reflects:

If
the Gospels do contain the very words of Jesus, what is one to make of their
disagreement in wording when recording the same discourse or conversation? The
fact that no single gospel records everything spoken on a given occasion
furnishes an adequate response to that challenge. It is probable, in fact, that
no combination of parallel accounts records the entirety of a speech or
dialogue. Christ undoubtedly repeated some of His teachings with slightly
differing wording on different occasions. He very probably did so on the same occasion
too. So instances where parallel accounts report the same substance in slightly
different forms may easily be traceable to different but similar statements on
the same occasion, with each writer selecting for his account only a part of
what was said (369).

Thomas’ view here reflects that
held by the pre-critical interpreters.

He likewise notes the special
nature of the Bible as a Holy Spirit inspired work:

Another
factor overlooked by evangelicals in the whole issue of literary independence
versus interdependence is the role of the Holy Spirit in enabling the memories
of the eyewitnesses of Christ’s life….

The
Spirit’s work in reminding and inspiring is a supernatural work, guaranteeing a
degree of accuracy and precision that is without parallel in the annals of
human historiography (372).

Concluding
Reflections:

In conclusion, let me share some
insights from Alvin Plantinga’s Knowledge
and Christian Belief (Eerdmans, 2015). This is a simplified and popular
version of his Warranted Christian Belief
(Oxford, 2000).

Plantinga argues in that book that
there is warrant or justification for Christian belief (i.e., that it is not
necessarily irrational to hold Christian beliefs). At the conclusion of that
book he addresses three “defeaters” (arguments against his thesis). The three
are challenges based on Historical Biblical Criticism; Pluralism; and Evil.

For the purposes of this
discussion, I thought his comments on Historical Biblical Criticism (HBC) are
worth sharing. Plantinga writes:

So
HBC has not in general been sympathetic to traditional Christian belief; it has
hardly been an encouragement to the faithful. The faithful, however, seem
relatively unconcerned; they find traditional biblical commentary of great
interest and importance, but the beliefs and attitudes of HBC have not seemed
to filter down to them, in spite of its dominance in mainline seminaries.
According to Van Harvey, “Despite decades of research, the average person tends
to think of the life of Jesus in much the same terms as Christians did three
centuries ago” [“New Testament Scholarship,” p. 194]. One possible reason is
that there is no compelling or even reasonably decent argument for supposing
that the procedures and assumptions of HBC are to be preferred, by Christians,
to those of traditional Biblical commentary. A little epistemological
reflection enables us to see something further: the traditional Christian has
good reason to reject the skeptical claims of HBC and continue to hold
traditional Christian belief despite the allegedly corrosive acids of HBC
(103).

I think Plantinga gets it very
right here. Modern evangelical scholars have embraced and accommodated the
modern historical-critical method to their reading of the Bible (in this case
the Gospels) in an effort to defend the faith against objections. The problem
is that these are not objections raised by the faithful but by unbelieving
skeptics. The faithful, in fact, find the “new” interpretations unconvincing, at
best, and undermining the faith, at worst.

So, what can we conclude?

Jesus spoke Aramaic. That is clear
from the Gospel quotations of his Aramaic speech. But it is not unreasonable to
assume that he also spoke Greek and that the Gospel writers faithfully recorded
his words in Greek. Not only did they rely on accurate written accounts and carefully
preserved memories, but the Holy Spirit enabled faithful remembering (John 14:26).
Agreements in the Gospel record do not have to explained through complex literary
dependence theories. Any discrepancies in the account of speech from Jesus or other
figures can also be reasonably explained through harmonization (e.g., distinctions
between direct and indirect discourse, repetitions, partial citations, etc.) without
abandoning confidence in the Gospels as faithfully preserving the ipsissima verba, which is essentially the
default understanding of ordinary believing readers who have not been exposed to
higher criticism.

9 comments:

Very good books to study about this topic, Jeff (I disagree in special with Wallace and Bock, in some instances with Feinberg and like very much the work of Robert Thomas). The question about the exactly words of Jesus are something that I have studied since 2012, I guess.

In the beggining of this year, I presented my bachelor degree thesis on the Gospel of John at the Baptist College, and one of the professors questioned my defence of the Ipisissima Verba of the words of Jesus that I defend in the majority of the occasions described in the Gospels (in particular case in John's Gospel). In my Opinion, the Gospels present the Ipsissima Verba et sinonymia of the words of Christ.

A good book that deals with this and more questions surrounding the life of our Lord is "The Jesus Quest: the Danger from Within",a very good research about what's is happening in the modern evangelical academy. Unfortunatley, any attention is given to the historical critical text that followed the interpretations of a "historical-critical Jesus".

VLB, thanks for the comment and insights. You'll have to tell me what the "et sinonymia" means. Yes, Thomas does a good job challenging evangelical scholarly embrace of modern historical critical methods. I also like his book on the Synoptic Gospels.

The expression "ipisissima verba et synonimia" is rendering like "the same words and synonyms". So the Gospels present the same words that Jesus spoke, and in some occasions, use the same phraseology with some synonyms, but not in a way that the report of the words are more an interpretation than an accurate registration of the words.

VLB, thanks for the reply. I had not heard of this before. Some questions:

1. So what would be the difference between synonimia and vox?2. Do these refer to supposed translations of Jesus' words in Aramaic or the other reported speech?3. Has anyone written about this view? Sources?4. Can you cite a few examples from the Gospels where you think synonimia occurs?

1. Ipisissima Vox is more like the evangelists' interpretation about what Jesus said rather that the same words of Jesus, in order to correspond their theological concerns and interests (This is more often defended in the case of John's Gospel). I do not uphold that. Rather, the evangelists uses the same words of Jesus, but in some instances, there are few words that are replaced by synonyms or words of the closest meaning. The focus of the evangelists is not to give a theological interpretation of Jesus using their proper vocabulary and associated it with the Jesus's words.

2. This is not directed involved in the hypothetical words of Jesus in Aramaic, but it is more related to mental translations from the Aramaic that the evangelists could have done in some instances, it is also related to the phraseology of an eyewitness.

3. I don't know anyone that uses this kind of terminology, but you can see a very close idea in Thomas and Gundry's Harmony of the Gospels (also titled NVI Harmony of the Gospels).

4. using a simple example, you can look at Mark 6.11/Luke 9.5, the words "them" (autois and autous), "dust" (Xoun and koniorton, the latter the Av translated as "very dust" in Luke), so you have the exact words of Jesus, but with few synonyms that don't change the meaning or just interpret the sayings.

OK VLB, thanks for this. My question would be, with respect, what would be the essential difference between this and the vox position. One still would be unable to discern the exact verba used by Jesus. Could such minor differences (a dative pronoun versus an accusative) be reasonably explained by variety of speech, repetition, and diversity of eyewitness reports and still maintain a strict view of ipsissima verba?

I think Bock also mentioned that we can see from the Gospel writers quotation of the Old Testament. They very clearly gave the gist rather than the exact quote in many if not most instances.

Vox also seems to explain the differences in recording the same events but with contradictory information, ie God’s words after His baptism, order of temptations in the wilderness etc. There does seem to be a theme of giving the gist in those instances and others.

I also readily admit it’s weird and I wish there were better explanations than the ones given here.